OWEGO, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Tioga County is bolstering it security by hiring officers and implementing cameras around county buildings.

Upgrades to security are being implemented across various Tioga County buildings but the biggest changes are happening at the Ronald E. Dougherty Office Building at 56 Main Street in Owego.

As of yesterday, the company Securitas is providing security guards that greet visitors as they enter the building, check bags, and require everyone to pass through a metal detector.

The chair of the Tioga County Legislature, Marte Sauerbrey says that things are not the same as they were 20 years ago, and that the security upgrades are in place to eliminate the possibility of guns or weapons entering the building.

“We also felt like we needed to upgrade the safety of the people that come in to the DMV, the people that work in this building. So, the legislature agreed to hire security officers and purchase a magnetometer and all the equipment that goes with it.”

Security cameras have also been installed both in and outside of the building.

Sauerbrey says that the new security was paid for through Tioga County’s American Recovery Plan funds.

She says that the new protocol has already resulted in multiple weapons being confiscated since its inception yesterday.